NIGERIAN TROOPS RESPONSIBLE FOR LIBERATION OF SEIZED TOWNS.... SHETTIMA

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has yesterday said that 90 per cent of the ongoing battle to reclaim seized territories under the Boko Haram terrorists is being carried out by the Nigerian armed forces and not by the foreign troops as "wrongly" perceived by the media.  Shettima insisted that soldiers of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republics cannot claim undue credits for the current successes being recorded over Boko Haram because the Nigerian forces are playing larger role in the exercise.  "We appreciate their efforts and support for the government of Nigeria, but it should be known that the bulk of the job of cleansing our society of these Boko Haram lunatics is being done by officers and men of the

Nigerian armed forces who are ably supported by the Nigeria Air force", Shettima said.  "I don't want to dwell so much on the inner workings of the ongoing counter insurgency operations which I have access to; but by and large we appreciate the efforts of the Chadian, of the Cameroonian and Nigerien troops; but I can say that 90 percent of the job is being done by our people – our own soldiers".  Shettima who made this remark during a courtesy call at the Government House Maiduguri, by the new Commander of the 79 Composite Group, Nigeria Air Force, Maiduguri , Air Comodore Christopher Eyi Egbuoba, said all that the troops of the three neighbouring African countries had been able to do was not more that 10 per cent of the job needed to be done.  "Some of them especially the Cameroonian had assisted us by sealing off the borders.